If you are looking for a holiday gift for a military toddler, this might be the perfect one. Jane Yolen’s ALL THOSE SECRETS OF THE WORLD, illustrated with soft, reassuring watercolors by Leslie Baker, is based on the author’s earliest memories of her father’s deployment in World War II.
Janie, the four-year-old in the story, doesn’t understand where or why her father is going, but she gets caught up in the excitement of going to the boat and getting an ice cream, although she notices her mother cries all the way home.
Later, Janie is on the beach with her cousin, and when she asks about the tiny specks on the horizon and he tells her they are ships, she doesn’t believe him. This is one of the secrets of the title, for he tells her that things that are far away look small.
When her father finally returns after two years, the first thing he tells her is how much bigger she is. "Now you are here, so I am big," Janie tells him.
According to Book List, “This timely, nostalgic story is told with simple grace, and Janie's thoughts and experiences are believably childlike. Baker's ( The Third-Story Cat ) watercolors are poignant, evocative and contain just the right amount of sentimentality.”
This is a Reading Rainbow book choice.
Very Nice.. thanks
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